Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Thomas Di Pauli skated for the Chicago MIssion Midget Major U16 team and represented the USA at the 2010 U17 Four Nations Cup. In 30 games with Mission he scored 18 goals with 15 assists and had 10 penalty minutes. He had 1 goal and 2 assists in four games at the Four Nations Cup.

2010-11: Di Pauli joined the USA National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor and was a co-captain of the NTDP U17 team. He skated in two games with the U18 team and had 1 goal with 1 assist and 2 penalty minutes. In 49 games with the U17 team he scored 7 goals with 20 assists. He represented the USA at the 2011 U18 Vlad Dzurilla and U17 World Hockey Challenge tournaments. He had two assists in three games as the USA captured gold in the Dzurilla tournament and had 2 goals with 4 assists in six games for the silver medal-winning USA squad at the WHC. Di Pauli committed to playing college hockey at Notre Dame.

2011-12: Di Pauli skated for the NTDP U18 team in his second season in Ann Arbor and won a gold medal at the 2012 U18 World Junior Championship. DiPauli scored 11 goals with 10 assists and had 22 penalty minutes in 55 games. He scored 1 goal and was an even plus/minus in six games at the WJC. Di Pauli was ranked 81st amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Washington in the fourth round (100th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Di Pauli played in 41 game for Notre Dame as a freshman. He scored 5 goals with 7 assists and was +8 with 31 penalty minutes. The Fighting Irish won the final CCHA playoff championship after finishing second to Miami in the regular season. Notre Dame lost to St. Cloud State in the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals.

2013-14: Di Pauli battled injuries during his sophomore season at Notre Dame — missing 14 of 40 games for the Fighting Irish. He scored 3 goals with 2 assists and had an even plus/minus in 26 games. Notre Dame finished eighth in Hockey East in its first year in the conference. The Fighting Irish upset first-place Boston College in the conference tournament and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament; falling to St. Cloud State, 4-3, in overtime in the NCAA West regional semifinals.

Talent Analysis

DiPauli is an interesting case. Prior to the 2014-15 season, his third at Notre Dame, he was a high-energy two-way player with limited offensive upside (just 17 points in 67 games). Then, he burst onto the scene with a 21 assist, 29 point effort in 41 games for the Irish last season. He is good on faceoffs and works hard at both ends of the ice, so his offensive explosion is likely due to an uptick in ice time and improved line mates. In any event, he is a strong two-way center with a high motor and strong skating ability.

Future

As of this writing, DiPauli is waiting to be signed by the Capitals or to be released as free agent. Should he sign with the Capitals, he will likely get a shot at the AHL or spend the year in the ECHL working on his offensive game. Ultimately, he could find himself playing the role of an effective third or fourth line center thanks to his ability in the faceoff circle and his high motor.

Photo: Boston College Eagle and Washington Capitals prospect Zach Sanford had a breakout season in 2015-16 with 39 points in 41 games. (courtesy of John Crouch/Icon Sportswire)

It’s the most important position on the ice and the Washington Capitals have invested heavily in goalies amongst their Top 20 prospects. Washington has a trio of goalies in the Top 20 including two in the top 10, while you can’t forget the franchise goalie Braden Holtby is only 26.

Washington also has a good collection of puck-moving defenseman, while there are a couple intriguing prospects and projects at other positions.

Photo: Notre Dame forward and Washington Capitals prospect Thomas Di Pauli was a greatly improved player in his final two seasons of collegiate hockey with the Fighting Irish (courtesy of Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)

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In college Washington a group of forwards that all matured more this season and one prospect who won a national title. In Europe, Washington watched as a group of teenagers started to step up against adult competition, including top-ranked prospect and 19 year old goalie Ilya Samsonov in the KHL.

Photo: Connor Carrick has 62 points in 117 regular season games as a Hershey Bear, fine totals for a young defenceman. (Courtesy of David Hahn/Icon Sportswire)

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Photo: Chris Brown has been called up to the NHL twice since Washington acquired him from Arizona, scoring two goals and an assist in 11 combined games. (Courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

Though the Washington Capitals have a plethora of prospects who should make an impact at some point in their career, their approach over the last few seasons has been consistent. They give their youngsters the opportunities they need to grow at the lower levels before promoting one or two to the lineup per year. Read more»

Photo: For the second season, Madison Bowey is the top-ranked Washington Capitals prospect. (Courtesy of Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

There are only a few new names on this edition of the Washington Capitals Top 20 prospects compared to the early 2015 edition. This is largely because the team has a solid, consistent group at the NHL level and have not had the need to rush prospects into the big leagues. Read more»